Release date: August 25, 2025

On the night of August 15, when the dazzling light show projected on the building’s façade gradually faded, the Nights at the Museum launched by the Natural History Museum of China came to a close. From July 16 to August 15, the Natural History Museum of China staged wonderful night activities for 25 nights during the summer holiday, attracting nearly 50,000 visitors and providing an additional 75 opening hours. With 14 featured programs presented in rotation and over 220 activities organized in total, the Nights at the Museum served as a grand cultural and visual feast on the South Central Axis on every brightly illuminated night.

Spectacular Light-themed Scenes

The 2025 Nights at the Museum, under the theme of “lights”, features the first application of the 3D project technology on the façade of the main building of the museum. The looping light show about the “4.6-billion-year epic of life” attracted large crowds of citizens, making it a popular summer night destination on the southern section of Beijing Central Axis.

In the exhibition “Encountering the Light of Life”, visitors observed glowing plants and got hands-on with experiment, witnessing the magic integration of the DNA of glowing microorganisms with that of plants, and gaining a deeper insight into the secret of life.

In addition, to align with the theme of “lights”, the docent team of the museum planned a special guide narration themed the “Chaser of Lights”, to reveal the intricate connections between animals and lights. The wonderful guided tours were well received by all visitors.

The Chinese shadow play, named Nezha Stirs the Sea: The Science Behind the Myth, proved to be a perfect blend of modern creativity and the inheritance of traditions. It was jointly presented by the Natural History Museum of China and the Beijing Shadow Show Troupe. Leveraging the unique charm of shadow puppetry, an intangible cultural heritage, the play ingeniously integrated science knowledge into the classic tale. The shadow play, staged eight times, drew nearly 1,000 visitors in total.

Sparks of Wisdom Ignited by Experts and Scholars

Academicians Wang Chengshan and Wang Jingxiu from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Academician Wang Qi from the Chinese Academy of Engineering entered the “C. C. Young Lecture Hall” in succession. They gave three lectures, respectively themed deep earth exploration, solar energy, and health & longevity, helping audiences gain a deeper understanding of sciences about the universe, the earth and humanity. The lectures were livestreamed via the Natural History Museum of China’s WeChat Channel account, Weibo account, Douyin account and Bilibili account, as well as other partnering media, recording a total of 752,000 viewers online.

In addition, the researchers of the Natural History Museum of China also entered the exhibition halls during the Nights at the Museum, delivering 25 amazing story-telling sessions about collections that cover geology, paleontology, botany, zoology, anthropology, and other disciplinary fields. Through vivid explanations, they helped visitors know the story behind each piece of collection and experience the richness of natural history.

Meanwhile, the “Nature Lecture Room” and “Night Dialogue on Nature”, activities in the form of knowledge sharing and dialogues, were presented by famous researchers and science communicators, and covered botany, geology, and astronomy, among other fields. The two activities, featuring four live streams, garnered approximately 117,000 clicks.

New Highlights Created through Innovative Activities

This year, the much-anticipated museum sleepover activity was upgraded in all aspects, with the “Nighttime Discovery Mission” becoming the biggest highlight. Using flashlights, participants in the mission illuminated every corner to discover the treasure hidden in the display cabinets. Making the sleepover activity more exploratory and educational is an innovation in this year’s design, and nearly 800 people joined the activity held ten times in total.

To support the special exhibition titled “Harmony through Time and Space - How Leonardo da Vinci Created Concord between His Artistic and Scientific World and the Natural World”, the Popular Science Education Department launched an original activity named “Da Vinci’s Fantastic World Adventure: A Murder Mystery Game”. The innovative activity sparked a lively discussion online. Through interactive play and immersive viewing of exhibition, one felt like traveling through time to have a dialogue with Leonardo da Vinci and entering the colorful world of his artistic and scientific creations. In addition, visitors could also look for Leonardo da Vinci and Mona Lisa in fancy attire, listening to their stories from the Renaissance.

Museum Staff Working in the Lights and Shadow

The popular science play titled Dinosaur Court: Who Is the Thief and the activity series themed “Here Comes Mr. Science” gave the Natural History Museum of China a stronger cultural atmosphere at night.

To ensure the success of the Nights at the Museum, museum staff, including employees, volunteers, and security guards, worked on the frontline on the nights of the summer, delivering services for more than 8,000 hours. With professionalism and enthusiasm, we offered thoughtful services for every visitor and safeguarded this grand feast of science and culture.

The event was covered by nearly 20 mainstream media outlets, including CCTV News, Dragon TV, BTV, People’s Daily, Beijing Daily, China Youth Daily, chinanews.com.cn, The Beijing News, Science Popularization Times, and Labor Afternoon Newspaper. In particular, CCTV News and BTV livestreamed the event, attracting 799,800 viewers online.

As an iconic event crafted by the Natural History Museum of China, the Nights at the Museum has been held for 19 consecutive summers. With a unique charm and constant innovations, the event has become an indispensable cultural feast on the South Central Axis in the summertime. The 2026 Nights at the Museum will be even more interesting and exciting. Stay tuned.